The Renegade
by Mr. Zombie
Summary: A Confederate Ghost goes insane and takes his anger out on those that made him what he is.
1. Default Chapter

The Renegade  
  
Chapter I  
  
  
  
He opened his eyes, and the darkness he saw disappeared. He observed his surroundings and saw that he was in some kind of laboratory. Men in white coats stood about typing on their computers. He couldn't see what was on the screen.  
  
He looked up and saw the yellow lights beam down on him. They seemed rather bright. Where was he, and who was he?  
  
"Ah, you're awake!" one of the men said.  
  
He turned his head abruptly and saw three of the ten people in the laboratory approach him. He was lying on some kind of steel platform.  
  
"How do you feel?" the man asked him.  
  
"Confused," he replied, "where am I?"  
  
"Don't worry, everything will become clear to you soon enough. You are in a Confederate laboratory, and your name is Joseph Lance."  
  
"How come I didn't know this?" Joseph asked.  
  
The man-Craig Quen was his name-smiled down at him. Joseph would be completely brainwashed shortly, so whatever he told him now would have no effect on him in the future.  
  
"You see, Joseph, you grew up having special psychic powers. The Confederacy seeks people like you. We brought you here so that your powers could be put to usefulness. You are the perfect human, incapable of feelings and only two things in mind: To serve and kill."  
  
"Serve and kill who?"  
  
Craig continued smiling down at him. The other two men glanced at him as he spoke, "You are to serve the Confederacy as an assassin. You will kill who your superiors order you to."  
  
"My.. Superiors?"  
  
"That is right. Your past no longer exists, Joseph. Your life begins now."  
  
One of the men handed Craig a syringe.  
  
"Now, let's forget about this conversation, shall we?" Craig said smiling.  
  
"I do not like this," Joseph replied.  
  
"What is there not to like? You are the perfect killer now."  
  
"No, I am but a mere pawn in the Confederacy's game."  
  
Craig's eyebrows rose. This had never happened before. Did Joseph just speak about the Confederacy?  
  
Joseph began to struggle, but found that two steel cuffs held down his arms.  
  
"Hurry and inject him, this is serious," one of the other men said.  
  
"Do not worry, he can't break through those bonds," Craig replied.  
  
Craig Quen had no idea how wrong he was. Joseph had already been granted his new powers, but the Confederacy had failed to completely destroy his mind. He knew of what the Confederacy was. Joseph Lance used all of his force to break the bonds and sat up. The three men stepped back.  
  
"He's loose!" one shouted.  
  
"But how?" Craig shouted.  
  
Joseph stood up. He was much taller then the rest of the men in that room. He walked to the large steel door and attempted to open it. It didn't move.  
  
"Sound the alarm!" Craig shouted.  
  
Joseph spun around to face Craig. They were planning on bringing him into the darkness again. He didn't want that. Joseph ran at the man trying to reach the alarm and twisted his head off with ease. Nothing he had seen before. He threw the head to the ground. The other nine living stepped back in fear as Joseph tore the alarm off.  
  
"Joseph, stop. We mean you no harm," Craig said.  
  
"You lie," Joseph replied.  
  
He ran at the group. His speed was astounding. Joseph threw a punch that went right through one of the men's stomach. Such strength he possessed! The steel door opened. Someone had pushed a button somewhere. He couldn't let these people escape. Joseph had been awake for five minutes now. It took him only one minute to kill the remaining eight, and he had saved Craig Quen as the last one. Now it was time to find out what he was.  
  
Joseph stepped up to one of the computers that had his name on it and began typing. A picture of a man with a tanned face and brown hair and brown eyes appeared. He assumed it was a picture of himself. Beside it was various information about himself. He read through it and found out what he was. A Confederate Ghost, and what Craig had told him to had indeed been true. His purpose was to serve the Confederacy as an assassin and to take orders only from his superiors. Names of his superiors had been assigned.  
  
I am skilled with the C-10 Canister Rifle, he thought. I must find this weapon.  
  
He looked around the room. There were no weapons here. Joseph made another assumption that there could be guards here. Perhaps one of them could have the weapon he sought. He ran out of the room and into a darkened corridor. He could hear footsteps on the turn to his left.  
  
Joseph peered around the corner and saw a guard with the weapon he sought. His back was turned. Joseph ran at him with such silence and speed that not even he would have thought he was coming. Joseph ran his fist through the man's back and picked up the rifle. Now it was time for him to escape.  
  
Joseph ran down the halls stealthily looking into each opened room. Anyone in his way was killed. By the time he reached the stardock attached to the giant laboratory he had killed twenty-three civilians and twelve guards. Somehow, Joseph knew how to pilot every one of the ships there. He chose the fast Wraith fighter.  
  
He had been in the laboratory for fifteen minutes, and it took him two more to leave it. His next objective was to find the necessary equipment for a Confederate Ghost, and he would indeed carry his purpose as an assassin. But it wasn't the way the Confederacy had intended. Joseph Lance entered space in the Confederate Wraith. 


	2. 

The Renegade  
  
Chapter II  
  
  
  
"What the hell is this? Now we have our own damn Ghosts going crazy and blasting away Confederate personnel!"  
  
General Duke stood aboard the Confederate flagship Norad II. In his hand was the document telling of Joseph Lance's escape. He shouted freely among his men: "I want this Ghost found and brought back! These Ghosts aren't easy to make!"  
  
First Lieutenant Stevens nodded. "We will get right on it sir. This Ghost will be brought into Confederate control in no time."  
  
"You had better be right, Lieutenant. We don't need this guy running around the Confederacy killing our people! We have enough to deal with concerning this problem on Korhal!  
  
The General threw the document down and stormed out of the bridge. Stevens wiped the sweat from his forehead. General Duke was quite the motivator.  
  
***  
  
He slipped the helmet onto his face and he immediately saw through heat vision. A button on the side of the helmet made it to where he could see normally. He switched the heat vision off and looked at his profile on the Wraith's computer. He read the list of the Confederate officers that were supposed to be his superiors. At the top of the list was the Alpha Squadron leader General Edmund Duke.  
  
It was too early to attempt an attack on Duke. The Confederacy would simply replace Alpha Squadron with a new General. So Joseph Lance decided he would take out those that could be considered least important to the Confederacy, and work his way to the General.  
  
***  
  
Captain John Riley of the Alpha Squadron's Special Forces. Although not a Ghost, he wielded the C-10 Canister Rifle, and always led his troops into battle. He was a respected man in the Confederacy, one that General Duke liked. His skills and accomplishments in the Confederacy was what allowed him to be chosen to lead the hunt for the renegade Ghost Joseph Lance. Riley hadn't had a decent challenge in almost a year, and found Joseph Lance to be quite interesting.  
  
There had been no sign of Joseph Lance for nearly a month, but then Major Michael Kern suddenly turned up dead, killed by a wound inflicted by a C-10 Canister Rifle. At first it was thought to be coincidence, but then two more officers came up dead. Riley noticed that it was like a trail. He had the list of what were intended to be Lance's superiors, and the last three names were murdered. It was no coincidence.  
  
A week later another officer on the list was killed. General Duke became impatient, being quite frustrated that Confederate officers were being killed by the renegade Ghost. Riley himself was worried about what the General would do if he failed this mission. Of course, if he did fail, Duke wouldn't be around to "punish" him.  
  
Riley immediately shook the thought out of his head. Aboard the dropship with his other three men, he polished his rifle to clean perfection. If Riley's prediction was right, Joseph Lance was on his way to Mar Sara.  
  
***  
  
It was nighttime. The streets of the city were quiet. The only sound that could be heard for quite a distance were the footsteps of the renegade. If anyone saw him they would think he was a Ghost, because he wore all Confederate gear, including the Alpha Squadron logo on his left sleeve. Colonel Kyle Nence, the planet's lead officer, would be arriving here in just a matter of moments. He stopped in front of the only Confederate building in the city.  
  
Silence and darkness sometimes made people paranoid. Joseph considered it his ally, for without them, he wouldn't have gone so far. He stood in the middle of the street with his rifle in his right hand pointing at the blackened, star-filled sky. The sound of an approaching vehicle could be heard.  
  
The Confederate vehicle, a small truck, stopped in front of the building. Joseph Lance had disappeared into a nearby alley. Four men, one of those the Colonel, stepped out of the truck. The other three wielded sub- machineguns.  
  
Joseph stepped out of the alley and appeared before them, just feet in front of the Confederate building. The three armed men aimed their machineguns at him in alarm. The Colonel stepped forward. "Relax, he's Alpha Squadron. What are you doing out here?"  
  
No reply came from Joseph. He aimed his rifle at the Colonel's face, who's eyes widened when he saw this.  
  
"Sir, get back!" one of the men shouted.  
  
They opened fire on the renegade. He moved with quick speed, avoiding the bullets and fired back. His first shot hit the one on the left, who fell onto his back. He fired two more times, and the two other men dropped. Three shots. Three deaths. The silence returned. The Colonel took a step back.  
  
"Y-you're Joseph Lance," he said.  
  
"Quite an observation, Colonel," Joseph replied, and pulled the trigger, breaking the silence once again. Colonel Kyle Nence fell onto the ground lifeless. Joseph looked at their corpses one last time and disappeared. 


	3. 

The Renegade  
  
Chapter III  
  
  
  
"Sir, I have some bad news," the pilot said to Captain Riley from the Dropship.  
  
Riley looked up from his clean, shiny rifle. "What is it?"  
  
"It's Colonel Nence, he's just been found dead."  
  
Riley stuck a cigarette into his mouth. "Well, isn't that just great? Another dead officer. General Duke won't be pleased."  
  
They entered the atmosphere of Mar Sara. There was a snowy surface below. Riley lit the cigarette and started polishing the rifle again. He didn't want to think about he Colonel's unfortunate accident. A loud beeping sound alarmed the pilot in the cockpit.  
  
"What is it?" Riley asked.  
  
"It's a Wraith, sir. A Confederate Wraith," the pilot replied.  
  
Riley sighed. "Why was there a warning?"  
  
"Well, sir, there's not supposed to be any ships out here but us, and the Wraith has its weapons ready."  
  
Riley looked up again, alarmed: "What?"  
  
There was an explosion and the dropship shook. They had just been hit.  
  
"Son of a bitch!" Riley shouted running to the cockpit, leaving his men to sit in the back. "Get that pilot on the screen!"  
  
The pilot pushed several buttons and a masked face appeared on the communications video screen.  
  
"Are you crazy!" Riley shouted at him.  
  
The Wraith pilot made no reply.  
  
"Shut down your weapons, that's an order," Riley said angrily.  
  
"I have a better idea," the Wraith pilot replied. "How about I kill you instead?"  
  
Riley's eyes widened. "What? Who are you?"  
  
"I have just recently learned that you are after me. I am not pleased with this. You have been following me for quite sometime I see."  
  
"Joseph Lance," Riley said quietly.  
  
"Right you are, Captain. Now prepare to be eliminated, I have other matters I must attend to."  
  
"You're crazy!" Riley shouted, but Lance's face disappeared before he could say it. John turned toward the pilot. "You better fly like you've never flown before. Open the side hatch."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Just do it!" Riley shouted.  
  
Two more missiles flew at the ship, and the pilot was only able to dodge one of them. The ship shook some more. John Riley grabbed his rifle and inserted a different kind of shell into it. The side hatch opened, and wind flew into the ship. His men held onto whatever they could. Riley could see the Wraith nearby. It wasn't even moving. It was just sitting there and shooting at the dropship. John aimed his rifle, and pulled the trigger. A Lockdown shell flew toward the ship and slammed into it, shutting down all of its systems temporarily.  
  
"Get us out of here!" Riley shouted at the pilot.  
  
The pilot closed the hatch and flew back into space. Riley didn't want to leave Joseph Lance, but there wasn't a Confederate besides themselves nearby. They had no way to capture the ship. It was best to run and live another day.  
  
***  
  
Joseph sat in his darkened Wraith calmly. It had been an unexpected attack from the ship, and he had underestimated John Riley. He found this to be quite amusing. When the systems came back on he flew into space as well, but not after the Captain Riley. No, his next target was on Korhal. Joseph knew the Captain would be waiting for him. The Captain was smart, Joseph could give him that much credit.  
  
***  
  
Duke wanted to hit the young lieutenant when the boy gave him the unfortunate news. Colonel Nence was dead, and Riley had let the damned Ghost get away.  
  
"Tell Riley that if any other Confederate officers end up dead, I will personally see to it that he is punished severely," he ordered Stevens.  
  
Stevens nodded. "Yes, sir."  
  
***  
  
Sergeant Johnson grinned at the Captain. "The General's not getting any happier, I think you should turn tail and get the hell outta here."  
  
Riley sighed, but made no reply.  
  
"So where do you think Lance is heading?"  
  
"There is only one place, Johnson," Riley replied. "Korhal."  
  
***  
  
That's the end of this chapter, I know it was short, but I plan on making the next one quite long. I hope you enjoyed this chapter though. 


End file.
